The Super Eagles started their quest to win their fourth African Cup of Nations, which is currently hosted in Ivory Coast, on a disappointing note after failing to beat their opponents, Equatorial Guinea.
The West African nation washed with injuries to some of its key players a few days before the start of the competition. However, the Eagles team led by Jose Peseiro failed to take maximum points from the game.
Here are five talking points from the match;
(1) Wasted Opportunities:
The Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to take their opportunities in the early stages of the game ( first half) which could have given them an early lead against Equatorial Guinea. This is one area the team coach, Jose Peseiro must look into going into the game against Ivory Coast and further into the competition.
(2) Alex Iwobi:
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The midfielder received a lot of sticks from Nigerians for his lack of awareness when Salvador scored the opening goal of the game to put Equatorial Guinea.
(3) Victor Osimhen:
The forward player failed to take the half chances that came his way whenever he was in front of goal. However, he was able to connect to Ademola Lookman's cross to get the Eagles back into the game.
He showed why he was awarded the best player on the continent when he scored the equalising goal for Nigeria. He needs to replicate the same performance he shows for Napoli when they face the host nation, Ivory Coast.
( 4) Ademola Lookman
The Atalanta winger is the only good thing going forward for the Super Eagles his crosses in the game were top notch but his teammates were unable to put themselves in good positions when the ball came into the opposition box.
(5) Nigeria vs Ivory Coast:
This result against Equatorial Guinea makes the game against the host nation, Ivory Coast a must-win if they want to progress to the next round of the AFCON 2023. Nigeria can not afford to be wasteful when they face Iviorians because anything less than a victory will dent their chances.
Conclusion:
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have everything to win games in this competition but the team's inability to take their chances will be one of the reasons why they won't progress to the next round.
